


count to seventeen and close your eyes

by Starful_nights



Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - My Chemical Romance (Album), The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: California (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Canon-Typical Violence, Consensual Possession, Curses, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eye Trauma, Gen, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Memory Magic, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possession, a killjoy group somewhere between a very weaponized family and a cult, fun ik, it just. happens, non-consensual possession too, this is not primarily a romance fic tho!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27781498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starful_nights/pseuds/Starful_nights
Summary: Jet went outside, praying that the door won't be rusted enough to creak, raygun ready in case things turned bad. This kind of thing happened fairly often, especially when travelling crews stayed here for a while. Whether it was old grudges from people you thought you'd never see again or a new disagreement, many 'joys tended to jump at the 'let's shoot each other' option, usually with the only intent to injure. Usually. When they were this tense, they'd shoot at any sudden movement, which was...not ideal in the middle of a town. (Of course, people who weren't Jet didn't get shot at nearly as often.)a tale of a strange necklace that everyone knows is cursed, memories, sour sweets and maybe, just maybe, love, both of the familial and the romantic kind.that is, if the terrible puns, the radical and ruthless killjoy group or the bad luck that comes with the territory doesn't get Jet first.
Relationships: Agent Cherri Cola/Kobra Kid (Danger Days), Fun Ghoul & Jet Star (Danger Days), Fun Ghoul/Jet Star (Danger Days), Jet Star & Party Poison (Danger Days), Minor or Background Relationship(s), We'll see how it goes - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 1





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> whoooo!!! here it is motherfuckerz!! ive worked on this for MONTHS now!! mostly just plotting not writing which is why i have so little done ! and yet i somehow dont know what im doing ! 
> 
> jet: she/he/they/ey (theyre genderfluid!)  
> poison: they/them  
> kobra: he/him  
> ghoul: xe/him/his/his/xemself  
> the crow: cor/corv/corvs/corvs/corvself (thank you jamie(jg-piff on tumblr) for this one)  
> dotsie: she/her
> 
> might add on later for the other important characters
> 
> warnings for this chapter: nongraphic descriptions of death and blood

It was that damn necklace’s fault. 

Party Poison didn’t see why their sibling was so attached to that thing. She _knew _it was cursed. She knew it was cursed and yet she carried it around and whenever it caused something good to happen, she shoved it in their face. And now they were stuck in the middle of nowhere with barely enough water to last the next few days and no power.__

__Fucking great._ _

__Next to them, Jet was pacing again as per usual, tears misting her eyes._ _

__"Jet. For the love of Destroya, will. You. Stop. Moving.”_ _

__She stopped._ _

__"Why?"_ _

__"You'll tire yourself out."_ _

__"I'm trying to think of something."_ _

__"Oh. Let me think," they said, sarcasm dripping from their words. "What can we do when we're stuck in the middle of fucking nowhere with barely any water, a dead car and a broken radio? Hmm. Maybe not pace and drive your sibling crazy!" The last words came out louder than intended and Jet shrank back, fear in her eyes. They regretted it immediately._ _

__"I'm sorry. Shouldn't have shouted."_ _

__Jet glared at them and sat down opposite her sibling in the meagre shade of Cherri's shitty blue truck he lent them and would decidedly not be happy the extra power was used to cause…whatever that blue pulsing puddle Poison wasn't going to touch was._ _

__They started throwing the pebbles and stones near them, hearing each of them hit the ground with a _thunk_ further and further away, kicking the dust up. They were a good thrower, better than you'd expect from a nineteen-year-old, and the dust never reached the two of them, but Jet still looked at them with increasing irritation each time. One of the stones landed too close and they started coughing right as Jet shot up._ _

__"The replacement radio under the seat!" She paused. "You okay?"_ _

__"Fine," they said between coughs. "Looks like we won't get the food we wanted, huh?"_ _

__"We're gonna miss the market, yeah," she said, barely a trace of sadness or disappointment in her voice. Of course she wouldn’t mind an opportunity to hear the shit people mutter about her._ _

__"Still, we might not die out here, then."_ _

__"Not this time, anyway," she said, already rummaging under the seat with the emergency equipment they both forgot about somehow._ _

__"Hey. Cherri?"_ _

__"Jet, that you?"_ _

__"Yeah. Uh. We ran out of batteries. We're on Route Guano. Can you come pick us up?"_ _

__"I've got a broadcast in a moment. Can y'wait a bit?"_ _

__"Can we?" She looked at Poison, who shook their head._ _

__"Uh. I guess?"_ _

__"Wait. Shit. There's gonna be some poison clouds comin' in today, I forgot. I'll send Pony right away."_ _

__"Thanks, Cher," she smiled and clicked the radio off, sighing._ _

__"Pois. I'm sorry."_ _

__"No. Don't."_ _

__"What?"_ _

__"I mean. Yeah. Opening the necklace wasn't a smart choice, and I personally would have thrown it into the desert ages ago-"_ _

__Jet gulped audibly, but disguised it with an eyeroll and a huff._ _

__"Party, we've been through this basically weekly in the past four years. Shut _up_."_ _

__"-yeah, anyways, if I had kept it for this long, I wouldn't have just not opened it. And I think this was worth it. Even if all of our power is now gone and Pony has to take us home for the second time this month."_ _

__"The first one was your fault."_ _

__"...maybe you're right, but we don't talk about that."_ _

__“That guy wasn’t worth it.”_ _

__"I said we don't talk about that."_ _

__Jet rolled her eyes again, lovingly this time._ _

__"Dumbass. Come on, let's collect whatever that blue puddle is and hope we won't get radiation poisoning while Pony gets here."_ _

__"Nope. Your cursed necklace. You do it."_ _

__"Coward."_ _

__"Reckless fucker."_ _

__"I don't get carted into the hospital once a month."_ _

__"Coward."_ _

__"Oh Witch, what did I do to deserve this," she sighed with a smile she tried so hard to hide._ _

________________ _

__"So, what happened?" Crimson Dots asked, leaning forward and nearly toppling off the counter. Her hair was silver today, and shorter than Jet'd ever seen it. Where she got that enormous hat from was an even bigger mystery than how she managed to get so much hair dye and keep her hair mostly in good shape._ _

__Her brother, the Kobra Kid, raised one eyebrow once Jet said nothing._ _

__"Spill, Spacegirl. This thing has been shadowing you since we know each other."_ _

__"I've known you before this whole thing," she protested weakly._ _

__"Just tell us," Kobra huffed. For someone who was an entire year her senior, as he always made a point of saying, he was really childish sometimes._ _

__"Give me a moment,” she said, drumming her fingers nervously on one of the tables of the diner-slash-restaurant-slash-food-delivery-place Dotsie and her friends refused to name, which was ridiculous honestly, and...maybe she should stop stalling thinking about it. It was a piece of cake compared to...well, things she really didn’t want to think about right now._ _

________________ _

_She and Party drove out into the middle of nowhere which was surprisingly easy to do in the desert. Party said this to Jet, who was too terrified to laugh._

_Her hands were shaking when she opened the small clasp on the necklace and waited._

_And waited._

___And waited._ _ _

_Aaaand, for a change, waited._

_Nothing._

_She looked at the necklace from every angle, carefully trying to figure out what was different. The eye in the middle of the square standing on one of its points was still there, the same pattern on its back didn't change, and the small mirror inside showed the same things as real life. She turned it around in her hands again. Something was off, but she couldn't place wha…_

_The realisation hit her like a sack full of Power Pup: no spirits were watching. The eye was coloured red, the red that would signify_ danger, _but no changes in the shade that would suggest one of the spirits talking. The lines etched in it didn't have any change of tint either, and it all felt so_ empty. 

_This revelation shook her so much she didn't even notice the mist slowly coming out of the inside compartment without the mirror._

_"Well, that was anticlimactic," she heard Party say, strangely far away, and she tried to turn around and look at them, but her feet were rooted to the spot, and her eyes found the necklace's eye and she couldn't tear them away._

_The mist became stronger and stronger, wrapping around Jet and turning into a strong grey smoke, solidifying all around her and not letting her see the real world. The vague shapes began to take a more solid form, and by the time the necklace let her look elsewhere, she was surrounded._

_The pictures were the stuff of nightmares, not the kind that has too many eyes and grins at you from the dark, but the kind that twists reality until you don't know what's a memory and what your mind made up._

__

_She saw Dotsie getting shot, the bright light of the plasma blinding her for a moment while she swiveled away, hoping those scenes would be better; there, her sibling's mask was lying broken on the ground. A snake climbed on her leg and was shot by a bright pink arrow, other scenes of destruction that she tried desperately not to focus on surrounding her. Drac masks were shoved on people she barely knew, and strangers with bright blue masks lay on the ground. All of the scenes were tinged with the shade that meant death. Suddenly the smoke messages turned more into something like a prophetic dream from an old god who still thought those were all the rage: the sun broke in two and blood lapped at her feet, turning black and oily before evaporating and turning the already smoky landscape bright red. The last thing she saw before blacking out was a killjoy with long, greasy black hair glaring at him murderously, with so much loathing she felt sick to her stomach. Well, even more than before. Their hands were covered in blood—whose, Jet didn't know, but it wasn't theirs—and she could feel they were going to stop something important._

__

_When she woke up, the smoke was gone. The sun was still pretty much in the same place in the sky, and Party was leaning over her, worried. The necklace wasn't on her neck and after a moment of panic, she saw it dangling in Party's hand. She grabbed it and put it on quickly, fumbling with the clasp for a moment._

__

_"What happened?" she asked._

__

_"The smoke gathered around you, enveloping you, and I couldn't do anything, then a few minutes later it collapsed into that weird blue mess right there and you fainted. You weren't out for long, though." There was a puddle of a strange blue liquid where she was standing only minutes ago._

__

_"Let's go home."_

__

_They started walking towards the car and turned away from the blue puddle, which was a mistake._

__

_Naturally, because Jet never had any sort of good luck, it exploded._

__

_The explosion wasn't big, but it made them lose their balance and nearly fall. Their already foul mood was made worse by what gave the blue thing the power to explode: all of the power in their batteries. Naturally._

__

_____________

__

__

__

__"Wow. What the fuck."_ _

__

__"You hang around Cherri this much and you still don't know how to speak like a human being, Kobra? I'm disappointed."_ _

__

__"But what did you see?"_ _

__

__Jet hesitated. She didn't tell them all of the horrors of the smoke, only a few of the less personal ones. Even Party didn't know all of it, only the ones she managed to say without breaking down fully. They were the person she trusted the most, with Kobra and Dots closely following, but she was still wary of showing everything inside her, no matter what reason said and the knowledge that they would be the one person who would never, _ever_ leave them._ _

__

__"A...A lot of things."_ _

__

__"Like?"_ _

__

__"Dots, stop it. You don't have to say, Jet. ‘Ts not important"_ _

__

__She sighed._ _

__

__"No, no, just…" She took a deep breath and slowly released it. When did she start fiddling with her sleeves again? "I saw you-" --she pointed at Dotsie--"dying, and Party’s mask, and so many people being shot, and-- and--” tears were appearing in her eyes. Party put an arm around her, she melted into the touch. It was strange, how much she trusted them, a voice in her head said. Your blood didn’t always do the best for you, she knew firsthand. Even though Mama did it all for the greater good, in the end. If that mattered at all._ _

__

__“There were strange prophetic-like things, too, maybe I should talk to Dr. D and ask him about that,” she said instead of the other things she wanted to say. It didn’t matter, anyways._ _

__

__“Yeah, he’ll probably know what they mean,” Dots said thoughtfully._ _

__

__Kobra glanced out the window to look at the sun and jumped up._ _

__

__“I’m gonna be late. Uh, catch y’all later?”_ _

__

__“Where are you goin’, brother mine? It’s your shift soon.”_ _

__

__“Uh...I’m...meeting with someone? At the racing track?”_ _

__

__Party grinned. “Yet another example of you making friends with random strangers you meet at the track. I have no idea how you do it.” They sounded so much like Kobra’s older sibling that Jet’s heart ached. They would have been better off. They wouldn’t have to deal with the mess that was Jet, clinging to a cursed thing out of reasons they didn’t understand, _couldn’t_ understand, because it would just make it all worse, weigh them down even more, or worse, they’d _convince_ her that it wasn’t worth it. They would hate that she was thinking this, obviously. Why they cared so much was such a mystery, she wasn’t worth it at a-_ _

__

__“I have a talent,” Kobra deadpanned and she was thrown back into reality._ _

__

__“Good for you.”_ _

__

__“I’ll be back soon, though, don’t worry, _Mom_.”_ _

__

__Dots rolled her eyes._ _

__

__“Just go.”_ _

__

__Party nudged Jet after Kobra walked out and Dotsie went back into the kitchen to check up on Pixie Dust, a very lively killjoy with a tendency to set fire to things._ _

__

__“You okay there?” She forgot they could sense her moods better than anyone._ _

__

__“Yeah.”_ _

__

__“Really?”_ _

__

__“No. That stuff shook me up really badly."_ _

__

__Party sighed._ _

__

__"You're going to open it again, aren't you." It wasn't a question._ _

__

__"Yeah. Not...right now, or for another few days, but yeah. I've got to figure it out."_ _

__

__"The spirits won't help, will they?"_ _

__

__"I'm pretty sure the necklace's magic won't let them."_ _

__

__"Well that's just fucking _great_."_ _

__

__"I'll think of something."_ _

__

__"Yeah. You will, little Star. You always do."_ _

__

__Jet froze at the nickname for a second, then smiled. She couldn't remember when was the last time someone called her that._ _

__

__"Anyways. Uh. Want to eat something?" Party said, like the ridiculously-awkward-with-affection person they were._ _

__

__"Sure. D'you think Pixie'll let us have some of that pudding she enchanted to taste like hot sauce?"_ _

__

__"Oh no. I'm not giving you any more of that," they laughed, and for a moment, all was well._ _

__

________________ _

__

__Of course, nothing stayed peaceful in the zones for long, and that was doubly true for Jet. And also probably for every other owner of cursed things, but she hadn't met another one yet._ _

__

__The next day's dose of bad luck didn't come in the form of a Drac attack, surprisingly enough. She wished afterwards that it would only be that, which was surprising in itself. Jet had been in enough claps to be one of the best shooters in Zone Four, but just because they became a routine, happening basically every few days, didn't mean she _liked_ them._ _

__

__She and Party were tasting some of the food and just generally being annoying to the diner staff, when raised voices, then the sound of a raygun being fired came through from outside. Pixie and Shine immediately looked at Jet, who sighed. Yes, this was probably her fault. That didn't make the fact that people always assumed it was her any less painful. Even if they were right._ _

__

__"Should I go look?"_ _

__

__"Jet, no."_ _

__

__"Party. If they decided that they're going to settle this western-movie style, they should at least go to the desert. This is supposed to be a peaceful settlement."_ _

__

__"You still shouldn't go outside."_ _

__

__"There is no way you will stop me if I put my mind to something."_ _

__

__"Fine. Don't get shot."_ _

__

__Jet went outside, praying that the door won't be rusted enough to creak, raygun ready in case things turned bad. This kind of thing happened fairly often, especially when travelling crews stayed here for a while. Whether it was old grudges from people you thought you'd never see again or a new disagreement, many 'joys tended to jump at the 'let's shoot each other' option, usually with the only intent to injure. Usually. When they were this tense, they'd shoot at any sudden movement, which was...not ideal in the middle of a town. (Of course, people who weren't Jet didn't get shot at nearly as often.)_ _

__

__The two 'joys—no, wait, a 'joy and a _Neutral_ , judging by their braided bracelet—didn't notice her at first, luckily. She didn't recognise the Neutral—who _was_ wearing killjoy colours so maybe they weren’t Neutral?—because their face was covered with a colourful purple-and-green mask, but she knew the 'joy. Tommy Chow Mein was the area's not-so-secret BL/i pill dealer as a side job for when he wasn't ripping people off with this shop, who somehow always ended up in the diner whenever she was. He was bitter, cold and always cheated people of their money. He was also very, very intelligent and had the least stale food and the occasional very good quality piece of clothing. They still didn't seem to notice her, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief._ _

__

__Then the door slammed behind her and suddenly two guns were pointing at her. She rolled her eyes._ _

__

__"Tommy, put that down. You know I could shoot you before you even pull the trigger."_ _

__

__Tommy scowled and lowered his gun, muttering under his breath. Jet looked at the stranger, who did the same._ _

__

__"Hey," she said, smiling sweetly. "Could you two finish this somewhere else, if you don't mind? My friends are trying to run a business here."_ _

__

__The stranger's clothes shifted colour almost imperceptibly and it took all of her willpower not to groan. Their clothes were almost glowing with anger._ _

__

__"I know you're angry as fuck about...something, probably Tommy selling you less stuff or saying he'll get back to you and not doing that, but please go somewhere else?" _And maybe calm down a bit before my eyes fry from that tint of anger on your clothes,_ she added silently._ _

__

__The stranger spoke._ _

__

__"Nah, just an old grudge. Was hoping I'd never see 'im again, but bad luck, huh? I actually promised to kill 'im, but seeing as 'e seems kind of important 'round here, I'll only aim for a serious injury. That fine by you?"_ _

__

__Their voice was surprisingly calm and easygoing, but the anger was still there, simmering underneath._ _

__

__"Shiny. But still, maybe somewhere else? Also, if you're staying around here, maybe tell me your name or something?"_ _

__

__She never did this, trying to distance herself from people as much as possible for the most part, but this stranger was...interesting. And confusing._ _

__

__"Fun Ghoul. Xe/him. That's xe and he ‘n’ whatnot f'r the most part otherwise to you."_ _

__

__"Noted. Jet Star. She/her for now."_ _

__

__Tommy started muttering again, but one look from Jet and he stopped._ _

__

__"Sorry about him."_ _

__

__"'Ts okay," xe shrugged. "Just an annoyance, really."_ _

__

__"Wanna come in? I'm pretty sure Shine still has some leftover food."_ _

__

__"I'm actually supposed to meet someone here? The Kobra Kid? You know 'im? Left in a hurry an' told me to come 'ere."_ _

__

__"Kobes? Yeah, I know him. My second older sibling, pretty much. Little shit," she smiled fondly. "But no, I haven't seen him since. I'm…not that big on human contact, t'be honest."_ _

__

__"Yeah, I know what that's like," Fun Ghoul said, and suddenly Jet realised how ridiculous this all was. Here she was, standing in front of The Nameless Diner, idly conversing with a stranger while Tommy was still standing there, all but cowering._ _

__

__Party chose this moment to step out, and smiled at Jet when they realised there was no immediate danger._ _

__

__"Who's attacking Tommy this time, Jet?"_ _

__

__"Dunno. His name's Fun Ghoul."_ _

__

__Party's eyes swept over Fun Ghoul, still in the mask, and their eyes narrowed._ _

__

__"You a neutral?" they asked sharply._ _

__

__Jet sighed._ _

__

__"No, xe's not. _Look._ The fading on the bracelet. It's a powerful enchantment, clearly, even BL/i couldn't cut it off. And nobody who runs off _that_ quickly goes back to being a fucking neutral,” she said, immediately cursing internally. She wasn’t supposed to let on her...abilities._ _

__

__"I'd really appreciate it if you didn't talk about me like I wasn't here. Also how the fuck did you know all of that?"_ _

__

__The trick was in the colours, of course, the one positive thing she got from the necklace. The amount of different shades single colours could have that other people wouldn't even notice was amazing. Many 'extra colours', as she and Party called them, meant a change in mood. Some became permanent after prolonged exposure to some materials, the Better Living pills for example. Others were the owner's signature shade, though that usually only came up with the spirits. From a quick look at someone, Jet, and Party to some extent, could tell a lot about people._ _

__

__Tommy spat at the ground._ _

__

__“ _La maldita_ 's magic is best not questioned. She's dangerous and not to be trusted."_ _

__

__Jet forced herself to smile. Tommy's views weren't made less intense by the fact that she privately agreed.(These kinds of thoughts came up surprisingly often when she was around people. It was getting ridiculous.)_ _

__

__"What language was that? I haven't heard any like it, I think. Is it from a different language family than the last, oh, seventeen or so?" she asked, her tone a lot lighter than her heart._ _

__

__Tommy muttered another few choice swear words in whatever the hell this language was and nodded._ _

__

__Jet turned towards Fun Ghoul, who was probably looking at her questioningly. She hated full-face masks, they made the already hard social interactions even worse._ _

__

__"Tommy here knows about a million of Before's languages and likes to use them on me. I now know _the cursed one_ in approximately thirty-nine languages now."_ _

__

__"Wait, you're _the cursed one_? What the fuck. Why the fuck did you think hanging around people was a good idea? You’re a murderer."_ _

__

__Jet's stomach turned to ice. She remembered why she didn’t do people. suddenly.._ _

__

__"Scorpion Queen?" she asked, dreading the answer._ _

__

__"Who?"_ _

__

__Jet breathed a silent sigh of relief. Scorpion Queen thought stealing the necklace was a good idea, and... let's just say nyx never had the chance to steal anything again._ _

__

__Kobra's bike stopped next to them before Ghoul had the chance to glower at her through the mask again, kicking the dust up and making Tommy, who was standing the closest, almost choke._ _

__

__"Hey, Ghoul! I see you've met Jet, Party, and, uh, Tommy. Sorry about him."_ _

__

__"Kobra, why didn't you tell me you were friends with the cursed one?"_ _

__

__"I...Uh...what?" he said, eloquent as always. "You know Jet?"_ _

__

__Fun Ghoul turned towards Kobra and was probably glowering._ _

__

__"You might want to take the mask off if you want to look at us angrily," Jet said helpfully. "For the record, I'm sorry for causing the death of whoever."_ _

__

__Fun Ghoul took off his mask and glowered at Kobra, not looking at Jet. His face was strangely familiar from what she could see but she couldn't place it, especially with all the greasy black hair that covered it._ _

__

__"Ghoulie, what happened when your friend died?" Kobra asked gently._ _

__

__"The cursed one and her children-"_ _

__

__"Jet doesn't have kids," Party interrupted._ _

__

__"Wait," Jet said, realisation slowly dawning. "Was it your original group? Neutrals? Ones with bracelets like yours?"_ _

__

__"...yeah? Why does that matter?"_ _

__

__"Because it was Mama who caused it, not me. I'm sorry. I was barely seven back then, and went by Moonrise, if you remember me?"_ _

__

__"You're Moonrise?" Fun Ghoul seemed to forget his anger for a moment. "Then you must be Prickles?"_ _

__

__"I was trying to forget that nickname," Party muttered and Kobra laughed._ _

__

__"Man, why haven't I heard of this before? I gotta tell Pony, ae needs blackmail material."_ _

__

__"Don't you dare, Kobra Kid. I thought we agreed on not selling siblings blackmail."_ _

__

__"You agreed what?" Jet asked. "Kobes! So that's why I have nothing?"_ _

__

__"Look at them, bickering like an old married couple," Tommy muttered to Fun Ghoul. "Wish you had a family like that, eh, loner boy?"_ _

__

__"Fuck off, Chow Mein. An' just 'cause it wasn't you, Jet Star, you still carry it."_ _

__

__"See, xe's taking my side," Party said under their breath, and got an elbow in the ribs from Jet despite all intentions for it to go unheard._ _

__

__"The necklace is of great value to me and I refuse to throw it away." Why was she speaking like one of those old fantasy books Dotsie kept reading? If Rat decided possession was the best way to go about this again, she would have to have words with him._ _

__

__"Fuck off, Rat," she muttered and the presence of Rat-neon-red disappeared from her mind. How did she not notice it a few moments ago?_ _

__

__"Then why're you in a town, where you can cause all these people trouble, then?" Fun Ghoul still refused to turn to her, instead facing Kobra as if aiming the question at him._ _

__

__"I don't live here. I was visiting my friends and was going to leave soon before you two idiots started fighting outside of the Diner."_ _

__

__"Are there attacks or disturbances like these every time you visit?"_ _

__

__Yes. "No, and I really don't think you should blame me for getting ready to shoot Tommy Chow Mein in the middle of a town."_ _

__

__"Why should I listen to the cursed one, answer me that?" xe spat, and turned at Jet, his eyes filled with so much hatred she took a step back and bumped into the doorframe._ _

__

__Fun Ghoul was the 'joy who stared at her in the vision._ _

__


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: yeah! winter break! I'll finally get things done!  
> writer's block, xmas preparations, tma: ha bitch u thought!!!!!!!!!
> 
> anyways on the plus side i did actually finish this chapter so that must count for something right 
> 
> i wish all of you a very uneventful 2021 <3

Jet should have expected it. 

She should have expected that whenever she actually connected with a stranger, even for a few short moments, the necklace went and ruined it. Party would have been mad if they heard all these negative thoughts, but she couldn't even realistically consider herself a pessimist. And yet when she stared into Fun Ghoul's eyes, she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if she wasn't 'the cursed one'.

Of course, she then immediately started analyzing Fun Ghoul's eyes. It was almost automatic at this point. The Pills' shade was over them, marking about two years of being dependent, but all in the past. So was the faint afterimage of magical influence, glittering like Pony’s newest crop top. The greenish-brown shade didn't tell her much other than the fact that xe had really pretty eyes, but the irises shone with an aggressiveness that scared her. It would not be good to be on the receiving end of that glare.

Which, obviously, she was doing right now.

Fucking great.

"I think you should go now," Party said sharply.

"Wow, what a hospitable town. Strange how it only takes in curses."

"You're one to complain. Have you ever had a stable group of people to rely on? Or did you betray them all like you'll betray us?" Jet was going off on a limb here, but she always had a talent for manipulation and pain-causing when she was angry, and she was seeing red now.

Fun Ghoul reeled back like xe'd been slapped.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Your reaction says otherwise. I wouldn't hold my breath if this is how you act with everyone."

"You seem awfully certain I'd ever get close enough to you lot to betray you," xe said.

"You'll cause the end of us all," she and at least seven other spirits chorused, not even bothering to use her vocal chords and having several voices come out of one throat. Fun Ghoul seemed to have had enough with that and stormed off. 

"I'm sorry, Kobra Kid, but if you hang around with crazy people like this, I'd rather not see you ever again. Shame, you were as good a racer as Untitled. I'd have loved to go against you sometime," xe shouted before hopping on his bike and leaving. 

"Well, that went well," Party said. 

_____________

I know I could’ve handled it better, Mama, but…”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in control of your feelings? This is your life, people hurting you because of the necklace. You’ve had it for years. Why isn’t your skin as thick as it should yet?” 

Jet sighed. The one time Mama actually talked to him, and she was already berating him barely a minutenin. She was right, though, and this was looking to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. He absolutely hated those, even though they had a tendency to come true even when Jet tried to avoid them. That’s how prophecies were, he guessed. 

“Jet? You awake yet?” Party was shouting again as a way of waking him up, as usual. 

“Yeah, gimme a sec. D’we have food left?” He started rummaging for his favourite jacket that was really uncomfy to sleep and he swore he put down somewhere around here--

“Pois, you seen m’jacket? The America one?”

“Nope,” Party called cheerfully. “Dumbass, d’you lose it again?”

“Hope not. If I have to rebuy it from Tommy again I’ll shoot something.”

He finally found it, and grabbed his green neckerchief. It was simpler than pronoun pins, as he knew for a fact that Hot Chimp had a grudge against reading, among other illiterate ‘joys.

“Jet, make me food,” Party announced when he finally stepped out. “I have other stuff to do.”

“Please tell me you’ll actually learn to drive.”

“No way. That’s your job.”

“I’m gonna start calling the Trans Am mine, then.”

“Fucker. Fine, I’ll learn to fucking drive. Happy now?”

“As happy as I can be, with Mama making contact,” he muttered. 

Party frowned.

“Jet, I thought we agreed to not make contact with Mama again.”

That probably would’ve been a smart thing to do, but he just couldn’t make himself do it. She usually had some good advice peppered in with the other shit that he could usually sort through and ignore. Usually.

“I won’t do it again. The necklace’s buzzing woke me up, you know how she gets.”

“Strawberry?” Party offered, handing Jet some Power Pup. That was their established code for ‘is the spirit here/listening?’ Jet shook his head. 

“Okay, cool. So, what’s the plan for today?”

“We drive the fuck out of reach of people and I’ll teach you to drive. It’s fun if you aren’t stressing about it. And anyways, you’re Party Poison. You gotta learn how to drive. Being the honorary sibling of the Kobra Kid and not even knowing how to change gear? Pathetic, I tell you,” Jet said, grinning. Party took the Power Pup still in Jet’s hand and shoved way too much hot sauce on it before giving it back.

“Motherfucker. My mouth’s gonna to be numb,” he sighed. Party’s grin widened. 

“Good. Maybe you'll shut up for once.”

Jet raised an eyebrow and followed them silently. This didn't deserve a response.  
_____________

Poison’s driving didn’t get any better, but they had fun for a bit.

Until Jet realised that they were in the middle of nowhere and he could try opening the necklace again, that is.

"Jet, you sure this is a good idea?" they sighed, stopping the car and looking at their sibling.

"No. I have a plan, though?"

"Do you?" Poison asked suspiciously.

"...Kind of." He dug a glass jar out of his pocket and looked triumphant."Look!"

"It's a jar," Poison said flatly.

"Yeah, you don't say. It can trap the smoke and I'll look at it from the outside."

"That's...actually not that stupid?"

"Glad you have faith in me.”

"I do, I just...you know what that thing does to you," Poison said uncomfortably. Jet's smile disappeared.

"Party, for the last time, it isn't the fucking necklace. I…"

"Please tell me?"

"I…" Jet shook his head. "I can't." 

"Why not?"

They could see the necklace in their peripheral vision, shining with CrashAttack’s pale yellow, say something that looked suspiciously like ‘just tell them dumbass, it’s time i thi-’ before being abruptly cut off by the blackness that Poison grew to dread, belonging to whatever curse the necklace had itself. That didn’t do anything to dispel their fears. 

"I...kind of physically can't?"

Poison blinked. They stared at their sibling for a few moments then stood up, got out of the car and started walking.

"Party, what the fuck? Come back!"

"I'm not staying in the car with a lunatic!"

"Party—"

Poison turned around. Jet looked terrible, and maybe that comment was a bit too much in this context, yeah. Master of not being confusing, Poison, perfect.

"I didn't mean you, I meant Mama. I'm going to get her out of that thing and murder her again."

"Oh. Uh." Jet was clearly not expecting this. It's not like Poison was that bad of a sibling, though...was it? They were really reconsidering their past reactions. Oops.

"Listen, there must be some curse expert in the Zones. Or, you know, the actual magicians and Witch-connecters. Someone must be able to undo it."

"You'd go on a possibly wild goose chase to...find out what the hell the necklace really does," Jet said, dumbfounded.

"Yeah? You're my sibling, that thing clearly fucked you up, and I want to know what fucked my sibling up so I can hurt it."

"Don't!"

"Okay, I won't actually hurt it then," they said, backpedalling immediately. Navigating this minefield was a lot harder when there was no way to get a map. "But still. I wanna know. I'm the curious type."

"Pois, when were you ever the curious one?" he laughed, and...things seemed to be better for now. They fell back into simple, meaningless banter and drove back to the small diner building—a lot of these seemed to be around, undemolished through several wars, maybe they had magic in them too—a few miles outside of the town that they called home without the necklace being mentioned again.

_____________

"So. D. If I, hypothetically, tried to contact someone who could reveal my hidden memories so I can speak of them, who should I contact? Hypothetically.” Jet was sitting on the floor of the WKIL station, nursing a mug of warm green tea that Dr. D conjured up from Witch knows where and was probably expensive back Before. Come to think of it, it was probably expensive now, too. D had an enormous collection of non perishable food in all of his hideouts.

D laughed, shaking his head.

“I’d suggest talking to Neonpop. He’s one of the most Witch-connected people around, and memories are more Her area than Destroya’s. Hypothetically, of course.”

“Neonpop, okay. Got it.”

“Exactly how hypothetical was this question, Jet?” 

Jet squirmed. He knew D would ask him about the memories, and he really didn’t want to do the desperately-trying-to-talk-but-can’t routine again. It’s been almost a week of him avoiding people, even Party, and driving the Am around in the desert, and he was definitely too tired for this.

“Uh.”

“Okay, should’ve guessed,” D said, a smile lurking at the corner of his mouth. “He lives in East Zone Six, right by the only non-radiated lake nearby. Take Poison with you, too. He isn’t dangerous, but some of his trainees are best left alone. Have fun.”

Jet stuttered out a thanks and all but bolted. He drained his fancy cup of tea first, though. 

“Wait, Jet! Take Cherri, too! You’ll need him,” D said, catching Jet’s arm before he sprinted all the way to Zone Six.

Cherri chose that moment to stumble in looking like a zombie who lost a fight with a wildcat.

“Whatchaneedmefordee?” he groaned and collapsed on the couch, accepting the coffee D handed him gratefully, downing half of it in one gulp and wincing when his mouth started bleeding again.

“What happened to you, Pepsi?” Jet asked, accepting that apparently he wasn’t allowed to leave just yet.

“Tripped over Kitty. Nearly fell on a fuckin’ cactus. Got attacked by her too f’r fallin’ over her. Then I barely slept because someone kept blasting Sleshers at 3AM. Gonna kill Hot Chimp. ” Kitty was the cat NewsAGoGo insisted was friendly and ‘just a stray, she was about to die, I couldn’t leave her out there’ and seemed to despise Cherri. Jet grinned.

“The great Cherri Cola, war hero, poet and the second-best sharpshooter in the whole of Zone Four, even in the South, thwarted by a cat. You learn new things every day.”

“You know, for someone who hates people, you’re surprisingly talkative,” Cherri muttered from behind his mug. Jet’s smile disappeared. 

“I made an exception for you lot, you should be ecstatic,” he said, forcing a smile that probably looked more like a grimace back on his face. Cherri’s not the best before his coffee, don’t take it personally, don’t take it personally, don’ttakeitpersonallydon’ttakeitpersonanlly. “I really gotta run now, though, East Zone Six is far away an’ I gotta make a plan first. Maybe we’ll even get to make a stop at a Mad Gear concert on the way.”

“Who’s fae performing with now? I barely got used to it being Mad Gear & Bug Infestation not Lucky Explosion and motherfucker’s changed it again.”

“Missile Kid. Best bassist around, and someone real this time for a change.”

“Bug looked real enough to me.,” Cherri said, stifling a yawn. 

“Bug was a hologram. Remember the glasses we got before every show? They projected him there. You’re just stupid, Pepsi.”

“Aw, love you too, supernova. Have fun with the road trip or whatever.”

“Oh no, Cherri Cola, you’re not letting those two idiot kids go off to meet Neonpop alone. You’re going with them.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. First of all, Jet’s the best sharpshooter in Zone Four. And Zone Three. Maybe not in Zone Five, but I heard someone killed Lemonade Stand recently, so probably in Zone Five, too. Second, you’d rely on me to take care of these idiots? I’m not that much better, t’be honest. An’ I couldn’t broadcast for weeks.”

“I’d feel better if you were there,” D insisted.

“I’m too tired for this. G’night, tumbleweeds. This is, uh, Cherri Cola. Signing off. Tune in next Thursday for my next Poetry Corner.”

“Kiddo, you’re radio talking. Go back to sleep,” D said, pushing Cherri back towards his room.

“I’m twenty. Not kid. Second-best shooter,” Cherri mumbled and Jet heard a crash followed by muffled swears a few moments later.

“He’s probably fine.”

“I really gotta run, D. Thanks for the tea.”

_____________

Jet found Poison sitting in the ‘Kobra-isn’t-back-yet’ pose at one of the diner tables and stifled a sigh. Party either didn’t bother to get to know someone, or all but adopted them. This wasn't that hard to get used to, even if it msde leaving places harder than they should be. Kobra, however, was a whole new level. They were even more like siblings than Party and Jet, and Party, the incessant worrier, couldn’t have chosen someone less nerve-wracking to claim as a brother. Kobes had a tendency to disappear for days or even weeks at a time, leaving a note saying when he’ll be back, like Jet. But, unlike Jet, he didn’t always manage to keep it.

“Pois. How long?” 

“Three over.”

Jet sucked a breath in through his teeth. Yeah, that wasn’t good.

“Lemme see the note.”

Party handed the by now crumpled and slightly damp piece of paper they’d been clutching to Jet. 

Bee back in 3 days, may bee moar. A week at moest. Outsrikts of NZ5, probabli (if im not back in 2weeks) -Kobra (ps if i get gosted tell Dotsie im sori i told her the corn soop was bad it was delish delisc tasteey)

“So he’s been gone for ten days? The same sudden vacation as I left during?”

“Yep,” Party said, popping the ‘p’ and looking downright miserable.

Jet exhaled slowly. Focus, Star, memories on the back burner. You've survived for seventeen years, you'll be fine for a bit more.

“Ooookay. He has four days to come back. You asked Mads? Fae’s in North 5, right?”

“Yeah. Hasn’t seen ‘im.”

“Wow. Uh. Not good. Dotsie?”

“Sparky had to lock her out of the kitchen or she’d’ve stress-baked all their supplies,” Party said dully.

“Ah,” Jet said intelligently. “So. Uh. D’you wanna be distracted, or should I try an’ contact him again, or...”

“Distraction, please?” Party said quietly. “You know how he--and you--get when you’re bothered during these times.”

“Sorry for leavin’.”

“Don’t. You needed the break. I stole some shit from Mein while you were gone. Check y’r pockets.”

Jet did, and almost--almost--smiled. His favourite hard sweets that appeared sporadically, and a whole package of them?

“Pois…”

“Don’t say I shouldn’t have, because you’d’ve gotten me it in a heartbeat an’ a half.”

Now he was smiling, ever so slightly. Maybe.

Finally, after what seemed to be the longest two days of Jet’s life, ey heard Kobra’s motorcycle pull up next to the diner where they decided (technically, Party refused to go back to their place but whatever) to stay until Kobra gets back. Party was asleep at one of the tables again, and Dotsie was finally allowed back in the kitchen and ey had to resist the urge to run out, because who did ey think ey were, almost going to see eir friend without telling his closer friends-slash-relatives?

“Dotsie! Dotsie!”

“What’s it, Jet?”

“He’s here!”

Dots came running almost immediately, a cloud of flour following her. Party’s head snapped up and they tried to stumble upright but ended up in a tangle of limbs under the table.

“He’s here??” They said, struggling up to a sitting position, then almost falling over again. “What are we waiting for?”

“You to stand up,” Dotsie said, practically vibrating. 

Once Party was safely vertical again, them and Dotsie almost knocked each other down again in a race to the door, Jet following a few steps behind. 

“Kobeskobeskobe-” Party stopped short and in the typical cartoon fashion in which everything happened when them and Dotsie were around, she walked into them. 

“Why’d you stop, Pois? Does he have a black eye? Two black eyes? A broken arm? Has ‘e brought another half-dead waverider back again?” Dotsie said, then also stopped short. What was this, one of those old comedy shows from Before?

Jet managed to press through the two of them and suddenly understood their reactions.

Oh, Kobra was fine apart from a few wounds that were nothing more than what he gained in an average week, it wasn’t that. 

It was the half-dead waverider with a blue--and clearly enchanted--bow gagging them, shining poison and malice and Witch knew what other sinister messages that overlapped until Jet thought ey’d throw up. It was the way their blood-matted hair bore an eerie resemblance to Cherri’s the first time they met, the way their piercing green eyes stared at em in a silent plea for help when Jet knew ey could do nothing. 

And, to top it all off, a sweaty and also half-dead looking Fun motherfucking Ghoul glaring at the trio like xe wanted to be anywhere but here. 

Ey were the first to regain the power of speech. 

“Kobes...wanna explain?

Kobra sighed. 

"It's a long story, but I kind of got kidnapped by some gang who only let me free because Ghoulie can summon his tattoos to be spiders and they hate spiders, apparently. Also they gave us this guy for some reason."

"Uh."

"Yeah, I know."

"I think we should take them to the station. D'll know what t' do," Party said.

"I'd best be on my way, then," Fun Ghoul said, rolling his eyes. "I'm clearly not welcome here, even after saving Kobes' life three times over. Have fun figuring out how to take th' gag off. We sure couldn't, and I don't think even Doc D's smart enough t' do that."

"Oh, no, you don't, mister," Kobra said, grabbing hold of Fun Ghoul's jacket. "I need all the moral support I can get, these three won't be much help, I can already see that," he said, just quietly enough so that Jet shouldn't've heard it if not for the way please shone on Kobra's sunglasses. 

"Fine. But I'm not taking the wavehead on my bike."

"We'll take them in the Trans Am," Party sighed.

"That ancient thing over there? 'M surprised it still works."

"Okay. Wavehead, me, an' Party in the Am, Dotsie if she wants to come with, Kobes an' you on y'r bikes," Jet cut in swiftly before Party could explode.

"Yeah I'm goin'," Dotsie said. "Got more'n enough experience dragging half-dead people Kobes saved around. C'mon, I don't think they'll stay alive f'r much longer if we dawdle," Dotsie added. "An' Kobes?"

"Yeah?"

"For the fifth fucking time. Second time this year. Please stop."

"Stop what?" Kobra asked innocently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kobra: saves several people from various deaths  
> dotsie: kobes please STOP or at keast carry them urself ive had enough

**Author's Note:**

> i forgot this left off at a cliffhanger LMAO
> 
> also abt the family tree thing!! i nearly forgot
> 
> kobra, show pony and my oc crimson dots are siblings (kobras the youngest pony and dotsie are twins? kind of? they actually met in the zones but they dont care)  
> jet and party are bio half siblings, they share a mom (Mama)
> 
> i have No plan for this whatsoever u h
> 
> updates every three weeks? monthly? ill have an update schedule at one point i Promise
> 
>  ~~like and subscribe~~ give this kudos or comment if u liked it! or dont go on my tumblr bc i barely use it ! 
> 
> but yeah!! this is out now! :D


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